A Galaxy Restored
by Cowgirl4Christ
Summary: Scattered across the galaxy, each of the rebels have their own missions, while ghosts and people of the past play just as important a part as those at present in the fight against the empire. Sequel to 'The Fight for the Galaxy'.
1. Scattered

**Dun-da-da! First chapter of the last story! Wow! Read, review! Please!!!**

Scattered

It wasn't the blinding sun reflected off almost white sand, or the withering heat that made her want to strip to her skin despite the multitude of people representing probably every star system from here to Broxant Sector, or even the buzzing that came from hundreds of different languages all spoken at the same time that convinced Lark she was on Tatooine. It was the distinctive smell that greeted her the instant she stepped out of their 'borrowed' ship and onto the rentable docking pad – the smell of garbage, fuel, hot animals and people, and heat. It nearly made Lark pass out. She breathed through her mouth until her sense of smell finally adjusted. Then she turned to her companion.

"Now what?"

Princess Leia looked around the crowded spaceport with her dark eyes and pushed a strand of her equally dark brown hair that had come loose from one of the two buns she had on either side of her head. Her gaze was calculating, but she also looked as lost as Lark felt. Neither had been to the planet before. Lark only knew a little Hutteese, though Leia was fluent in it, and both felt extremely small and unprotected.

"I'm not sure." Leia said after a pause. "We have to find Han first."

Lark nodded, thinking of Han, her friend and Leia's hopfully-more-than-friend, who had been frozen in carbonite thanks to the emperor and then put into the hands of a bounty hunter who had promptly handed him over to Jabba. That was probably where they should start.

"Bob said that Jabba's a pretty powerful figure here." She said. "He should be easy enough to find."

"It's not finding him I'm worried about." Leia said, her brown eyes still searching the crowd with a worried expression. "It's what we do when we find him."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Lark said. "We're here, aren't we? We made it." It had been hard, but they'd managed to steal a small pod from their transport and turn course to Tatooine instead of rejoining the rebel alliance. They'd stopped at the first spaceport and sold their pod then used that money to get a small ship, no bigger than a jet actually, which they'd flown directly here. And now that they were here, Lark was sure they could figure something out. "Hey, it's not like we haven't been in tougher situations." She reminded Leia.

Leia smiled. "You're awfully optimistic, Lark. I'm just trying to be realistic."

"Leave that to Bob." Lark said, though her heart gave a painful twist as she thought of Bob, in the hands of Vader – per say. She wondered if he was still alive.

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Bob was still alive, though at the moment he wondered if it wouldn't have been easier to simply have let Vader run him through. But the sith probably would've figured out some way to only capture him, and who knew what information Bob might have told under torture? No, for now he had a lot to be thankful for. He was a live, and safe – relatively – even if it was only temporary. He knew that he had to get out of here and soon. Before Vader discovered that he had faked turning to the dark side.

Right now Bob was focusing on sending his mind into a neutral state so Vader wouldn't read the light in him when they would be together in a little less than an hour. It was mentally and physically exhausting, but Bob was finally getting it. Or so he liked to think. His teacher, on the other hand, thought differently.

"You're leaking." An almost bored voice coming from a human whose form was lit by a faint blue light. Bob sighed, patched a few holes, and stretched the blank shield over his mind once more. It always made him feel numb and cold, but numb was better than dead. Or so he told himself.

"Better." Kitch said.

"How come you can feel me, but I can't feel you?" Bob asked.

"One of the mysteries of becoming one with the Force." Kitch waved his blue-lit hand vaguely in the air.

"Hmm." Bob didn't feel like talking about becoming one with the Force. It was a possibility that was all too real for him. "I'll tell you one thing: I didn't have this in mind when Han and I decided to give two humans and a couple of droids a ride to Aldreaan." He said. "Or when I told Jesse I wanted to become a Jedi."

"Tough." Kitch never had any sympathy, and Bob sighed inwardly. Lark or Leia would've listened. Even Luke might've been more compassionate than this ghost of a Jedi who for some reason or another had decided to help Bob. Not that Bob wasn't grateful for the help, but he missed his friends, especially Han and Lark. He wondered where they were.

"Thoughts like that are going to get you killed." Kitch said in a singsong voice.

Bob glared at him and readjusted his shield. Neutral mindsets didn't leave much room for moping, that was for sure.

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"Gone!" Jesse felt like throwing himself on the floor and howling. He took a deep breath and held it until he could think of nothing but his need for air. Then he let it out as slowly as he could before finally giving oxygen to his grateful lungs. Now he could think clearly. Where was he? Oh yes.

!#$&! That's what he thought of this whole dratted adventure that was quickly growing old. First his daughter goes missing – his only daughter – along with the princess and his unofficial apprentice as well as the son of the Sith Lord's apprentice, then he leaves to rescue his daughter after an almost violent argument with his wife, only to find that his daughter is in love with the said son of a sith and has to stay with him instead of returning to safety, and now he returns to the rebel base to find that his wife has taken off to find him! Jesse gave up trying to calm himself by taking deep breaths and took out his lightsaber. He ran through several sequences before finding himself connected enough to the Force to think semi-rationally.

What was he to do? Going after Kimmy was the obvious choice, but where would he start to look for her? Where would she start to look for him? Jesse massaged his temples. How long had it been since he'd slept? That had been the start of his troubles, he realized. If he hadn't been so worried, he wouldn't have had nightmares, and if he hadn't had had nightmares, he wouldn't be some darn tired now, and if he hadn't been so tired he wouldn't have yelled at Kimmy. Jesse hesitated and then went to his quarters. It might be considered crazy and downright uncaring to sleep right now, but he knew what he needed more than anything was at least a couple hours of sleep before he would be in any frame to do anything. He used a sleep suggestion on himself through the Force and was out the instant his head touched his pillow, before he even pulled his boots off.

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"No, he doesn't run through here anymore. Sorry." The clerk behind the counter looked anything but.

Kimmy ran a hand through her blonde hair that was light enough to disguise any grey hairs. She had only found one, but she was glad all the same. And thanks to lightsaber drills, she still fit into the clothes she wore before she had a daughter, one of the main reasons for her success in tracking down her quarry. She found that men were more willing to help an attractive woman rather than one that looked like she was the mother of a seventeen-year-old – which Kimmy was. But now it seemed her road had come to an end.

"Are you sure?" she leaned closer, her tone almost pleading. "It's really important."

"You can look at our records if you want – oh wait, you can't, it's against policy." Kimmy refrained from wrinkling her nose at the bad joke. "Last time he was here was almost four years ago."

"So you don't know where I could find him?"

"Oh well, you can look up the registry of his space vehicle and try to contact him, but that's not anywhere near my department." The clerk shrugged. "Sorry." This time he looked a little more earnest. Kimmy thanked him and walked away.

Of course she could've looked up his registry, but that would've involved an office a little too close to police for her comfort considering who she was and the last name of the person she was looking for. Kimmy sighed. Maybe she missed her guess. After all, if she couldn't find him, how could Jesse? But how many options did she have? Kimmy snorted. None. This was her best bet. And even if she didn't find Jesse with the person she was looking for, she would at lease have help. The only thing to do was keep looking.


	2. Attempts

**_I just realized that this story doesn't have a prologue, which is amazing for me. And I only got one review for the first chapter, but I know you guys are reading it because I have hits, so I'm going to have a contest. Everyone who reviews will be entered in a drawing to name the next chapter. But you have to review!_**

Attempts

Jesse woke up four hours later. All he wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep, but he forced himself awake and went to the shipyard. On the way, he was greeted by various pilots and others who hadn't even realized he was back. Jesse sighed inwardly. The chances of him actually being able to take off again were getting smaller and smaller with each friendly if slightly puzzled wave.

"Jesse."

Jesse winced and turned. He hadn't even made it to the shipyard.

"Mon Mothma wants to see you." The young aviator looked curiously at Jesse, probably wondering when he had gotten back. Jesse didn't bother answering the unspoken question as he brushed by with muttered thanks. He felt like pounding instead of knocking on the door, but he refrained, though he did bang a little harder than necessary. Inside the office sat Mon Mothma, General Madine, and Admiral Ackbar. Jesse raised his eyebrows slightly. He must be in trouble if there were all three big wigs here.

"Sit down, Jesse." It wasn't a suggestion. Jesse sat. "You were planning on leaving?"

Jesse nodded.

"Without even letting us know you were back?"

"I didn't think you'd let me go." Might as well lay all the cards on the table.

Mon Mothma sighed. "Jesse, I know you don't want to stay here while your wife and daughter are out floating around in the galaxy somewhere…"

"To put it mildly." Jesse muttered.

"… but we need you here." Mon Mothma continued as if there hadn't been an interruption.

"Skywalker's missing as well." General Madine added. "He's one of our best. We can't afford to lose all of our strongest links."

"And what about the Princess?" Jesse demanded. "Speaking of strongest links."

Mon Mothma took a deep breath, but she hadn't been elected leader of the rebel alliance for beating around the bush. "Jesse, we have to face the fact that they may not be alive anymore."

Jesse half rose, but she held up a hand. "It's been how long with no word?"

"I saw my daughter! She was with the Princess and Han Solo!" Jesse hissed.

"And you didn't bring her back?"

"I didn't exactly see the Princess…" Jesse fumbled for a minute. "But she was alive when I saw Lark!"

"Jesse, what we need you to do right now is find Kimmy."

Having been given permission - ordered actually - to do what he's been prepared to fight for, he was taken aback for a minute. "What?"

"She left without leave, presumably to look for you. We need you to go find her – no side trips. Straight there, straight back."

It wasn't as good as he'd wanted, but it was more than he'd expected. Jesse decided to take it. He rose stiffly. "There and back." _And a little looking around on the way, just in case._

Mon Mothma looked shrewdly at him as if she knew what he was thinking, but she only nodded. "I'll expect you back as soon as possible."

_Right._ But Jesse nodded and left, practically sprinting to the shipyard. It was amazing what a little sleep could do. He felt like a new man. Now his only objective was hurry, hurry, hurry. He grabbed a data board and skimmed through it while walking through rows of ships. When he reached one that would suit his purposes, he tossed the data board to the side, climbed on board, and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Whoa, didn't see you there, Jax."

"Sorry, sir." Jax looked more startled than Jesse. "You need the ship?"

"Yes." Good manners prevailed over impatience. "If she's available."

"Sure thing, I was just checking the instruments." Jax stood to go. "I was going to say good to see you back, but I guess you're headed off again."

"Thanks anyway." Jesse settled into the seat and hesitated only a second before starting the preflight checklist. He _was_ supposed to be setting a good example, and besides the last thing he needed was to get stranded on some storm trooper infested planet.

"Need a hand?" Jax, still standing over his shoulder, must have sensed Jesse's impatience. Jesse wanted to hug the young pilot.

"I'd love it."

Jax scooted into the copilot's seat and got to work. Half an hour later, Jesse was hurtling up into the cool darkness of space headed for a planet he'd never been to, but which had someone living on it who just might be Jesse's only chance for some help. It was someone he'd been hesitant to bring up in the conference - if that's what it could be called – with Mothma, Madine, and Ackbar, but the idea had occurred to him as he'd woken up, and the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced it was the right thing. Now if only he could convince the said person of that fact.

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_I've got to get out of here. _

The thought always occurred just as he was waking up. It always made Bob more than a little nervous about sleeping. Who knew what unguarded thought Vader could sense while he slept, thoughts that could – and would – be the death of him? He knew his time was limited anyway. Sometime something would happen that would make his ruse slip. There would come a line that he couldn't cross, and then he would be revealed. Even lightsaber practice was dangerous since Bob was afraid to touch the darkside, despite the fact that he felt as thought he was swimming in it, treading water, hoping to be able to get out before he drowned. The thing was, he couldn't think too much about leaving for fear of being discovered. But if he couldn't think of a plan, he would be discovered anyway.

_Who was that great philosopher who said 'either you eat the poisonous plant and die, or don't eat it and starve'?_ Bob tried to remember.

"Crato was his name." Kitch said.

Bob didn't want to talk; he wanted to think, which was nearly impossible when Kitch was around. "Were you this annoying when you were alive?" he demanded.

"Worse. Just ask Jesse."

Bob perked up. "You knew Jesse?" Maybe he did want to talk.

"He never told you about me? How rude."

"He doesn't talk much about… back then. I think it's too painful."

"So he didn't tell you about your past either?"

"What about it?"

Kitch cocked his head.

"Oh, come on. Don't you dare do that to me." Bob glared for a full fifteen seconds before finally giving in. "What?" he snarled. Kitch wasn't even looking at him; he seemed lost in thought.

"I just forgot, Jesse and Kimmy don't know who you are either."

"You know Kimmy too?"

"She was too old for me, but yeah, I knew her. Little spitfire underneath a bit of shyness."

"That's like Lark, except scratch the shy part." Bob shook his head. How had they gotten of subject? "What about my past? I know I was a baby that Kimmy and Jesse rescued from the temple, but that's all."

"Oh there's more. Lot's more. But you have to find that out for yourself."

"How? Anyone who knows anything is dead."

"You'll figure it out. And there is one person who knows your real name. But he doesn't know that he knows, of course."

"Of course." Bob muttered sarcastically. "Who is it?"

"Please, do I look like a fortuneteller? You have to find out by yourself."

"Go to…"

"Been there." Kitch interrupted. "I'm dead remember."

"Right." Bob rolled back over in bed. He wasn't getting up yet; it was still early in the night. Every night he'd taken to walking around and stopping at all the command centers when everything was quiet. The troops usually didn't say much to him, after all he was Vader's apprentice, but Bob wanted them to see him roaming the corridors long after everyone off duty was usually asleep. That way if he was ever seen looking around for a way of escape – like he would be doing tonight – he wouldn't be taken much notice of. It was the only strategy he could come up with, but he figured it was a start. He still had a few hours of sleep he could get though, and he decided he might as well. Checking to make sure his mental shield was firmly in place and hoping it would stay there, Bob closed his eyes.


	3. Unexpected Meetings

**_I can't believe I put chapter four instead of chapter three up. My bad. So this is the real chapter three._**

Unexpected Meetings

The tiny bar was crowded not so much with people as with smoke and noise, not to mention being extremely dirty, but it was Kimmy's last hope. This was the type of place that saw pretty much everyone in the space trade at least once every year, legal or otherwise, and it was the last one on her last. Despite the fact that after this she would have to think of some other drastic plan, KImmy couldn't help but feel relieved that this would be her last stop. She carefully made her way to the bar and signaled the bartender.

"What'll it be, sweet thing?" he drawled. Kimmy raised an eyebrow at the blue humanoid.

"Information." She said. "I'm looking for someone…"

"Well, I'll be darned." A voice said from behind. "Does your husband know you're in a place like this, alone and unprotected?"

Kimmy turned, waving the bartender off with her hand, and grinning. "Maybe he does; maybe he doesn't."

"That's a no if I ever heard one. Good thing, or I'd have to pound him for not taking care of his wife." The big burly man with blonde hair that was only starting to go grey smiled down at her, a stark contrast to Jesse, who wasn't even a head taller than her. Besides the blonde hair the only thing they had in common was their sense of mischief.

"I don't think you could pound Jesse anymore, Shey." Kimmy said.

"A man is always able to pound his little brother." Shey gave her a friendly one-armed hug and steered her to a corner table.

"Um, can we go outside?" Kimmy asked.

Shey laughed. "You don't like the air in here? Suit yourself." He pushed through the swinging doors. "So what brings you here looking for me – I assume that's why you're here?"

Kmmy nodded, breathing in the fresh air gratefully. "I'm in a bit of a jam."

"What? A…" he stopped short of saying the word Jedi, a word that was a passport to all kinds of trouble. "… a sweet little girl like you?"

"You're not as charming as you were when you were thirty."

Shey pretended to be hurt.

"Actually, I need your help tracking down Jesse." Kimmy continued then paused. "It's quite a story."

"I can tell. My brother in trouble. There's a surprise." He led her down a street past several sleeping apartment houses. "My ship's only a few blocks over. It's a cargo ship, but it'll have to do."

"What about your crew?"

Shey jerked a thumb over his right shoulder. "Blowing off their wages. We aren't scheduled to leave until tomorrow."

"I see."

"So what's the story?"

"I'd rather wait until we're in your ship." Kimmy had learned not to trust dark shadows and seemingly empty alleys.

"Sure thing."

"So where are you headed next?" Kimmy quickly lapsed into small talk both out of curiosity and because they were passing a lit up casino where gamblers sat smoking on the tables outside.

"Tatooine first. I have some cargo to drop off and of course some to pick up: namely Bob."

Kimmy flinched. "Oh."

Shey stopped. "Call me crazy, but I did not like the sound of that 'oh'."

"I can explain." _Sort of._ Kimmy had to admit that her explanations wouldn't be all that comforting.

"Really."

"At the ship." She picked up her Jedi-calm and continued walking. Shey followed and led the way into a docking bay and up onto a relatively small but well made cargo ship. He shut the door, checked to make sure no one was in the cockpit or the hold, and then they settled down in the cabin.

"So?" he asked.

"So." Kimmy thought. "Good grief, how long have you been gone?"

"Too long obviously. But I left Bob with a friend of mine, Han…"

"Solo." Kimmy interrupted. "We met."

"How?"

"Leia and Lark were on a mission to get some plans for a weapon of mass destruction. On the way back they were pursued and captured."

"Are they alright?"

"Fine. Leia put the plans in an astro-droid and sent them off in an escape pod. They landed on Tatooine and were discovered, ironically enough, by Luke Skywalker."

Shey's eyes widened, and he whistled. "That's some coincidence."

Kimmy shrugged. She believed in the Force, not in coincidences. "Apparently Leia had mentioned Obi-Wan's name on a recording on the droid. Luke found him, and they went to Mos Eisly to see about finding transportation."

"Ah." Now Kimmy could see Shey make the connection.

"Exactly. They made it – eventually, and Bob and Han decided to stay with us."

"Han?" Shey snorted in disbelief, and Kimmy shot him a sideways glance.

"Yes, Han. And it's a darn good thing. We had to evacuate our base on Hoth, and Han made sure Leia and Lark got out."

"What about Bob?"

"He and Luke disappeared. They should've been with the other fighters, but they weren't. We haven't been able to find hide or hair of any of them. Then Jesse took off to look, and I…" she stopped, not really wanting to go into the details of their fight and how stupid she'd been. Thankfully she didn't have to. Shey didn't look like it, but he was pretty sensitive and understanding underneath. He reached for her hand.

"And you need my help finding Jesse?"

Kimmy nodded, afraid to speak. She grasped for the Force, willing herself to be calm.

"Do you know where he would go?"

"No. I thought he would come to you."

"That's the problem with men and women; they think differently." Shey sat back. "Jesse's not the type to ask anyone for help; you know that better than I do. But if he had really hit a dead end…" he thought. "There's no one in the galaxy – besides me – that he trusts?"

Kimmy started to shake her head and then stopped. A faint memory had caught her attention and grabbed hold. She thought rapidly, beginning to nod. "There is someone…" she began. "But he said he was done fighting."

"Has anything anyone said ever stopped Jesse?"

"True." Kimmy nodded. "We might as well try." There was a chance this would work. And even if Jesse wasn't there, Kimmy knew she would appreciate the input that who she had in mind could offer.

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"Why are we here again?" Lark muttered. The heat was making her head ache as she followed Leia into another cantina. Curious – and slightly surly – gazes flitted over to the two girls as they entered, and Lark returned each with a glare that made them look away, recognizing that she wasn't someone to be messed with. She slid into a chair next to Leia.

"So the plan is…"

"Reconnaissance." Leia answered. "We look around a little so that we have more information to create an intelligent, informed plan."

"In other words," Lark muttered, "you have absolutely no idea what to do, so we're going to roam around until you come up with something."

"Any other ideas?" Leia demanded. "Because I'd be happy to hear one."

Lark shrugged.

"What can I get for you two pretty ladies?" the bartender asked, rolls of fat jiggling from his neck.

"Juice." Leia answered.

"Scotch." Lark said, still annoyed at both Leia and herself for not having any ideas. Leia raised an eyebrow at her but didn't say anything. Lark glanced at the small amount of coins they had left and decided ordering the drink hadn't been the brightest idea. She went to put the money back in her pocket when a scratchy voice tickled in her ear,

"I could use some of that, honey. I'd make it worth your while."

Lark shoved the money back in her pocket and glared down at the scraggly human who looked like he's shaved with a scooter chain. Puss oozed from pimples on his forehead and chin and she wondered if he only washed his hair when it rained.

"Last time I checked, it was the guy who paid the girl." She said.

"Trust me, sweetie, it'd be you getting the treat."

Lark smiled condescendingly at him and reached for her drink. She had to use the Force not to grimace at the taste. Obviously there was a difference between Alderaan wineries and Tatooine cantinas. She swirled the liquid around in the glass, wondering what to do with it. No was she was drinking it.

"You sure you don't want to take me up on my offer?" the little man pinched her leg, and Lark came up with a perfect solution. She picked up the glass and dumped the scotch in his face.

"You needed a bath." Lark said. "They say alcohol kills bacteria, though you'd probably have to soak in it to disinfect you."

The man stood there sputtering, and then turned away. Lark put the empty glass on the counter and turned to Leia, who was watching with an amused look on her face.

"Whatever you're going to say, don't." Lark said.

"I was just going to ask if Luke would get the same reaction if he gave you that offer."

Lark glared for a full five seconds at the smirking Leia. "You're cruel." She said. "I could ask the same about you and someone else." But there was no teasing behind the words. She was homesick, not so much for the rebel base and her mom and dad as for Luke. She knew he was heading for Dagobah, which was where she was planning on going just as soon as they - somehow – freed Han, but she was still lonely. She stared at the stained countertop silently, wishing she could talk to him through the Force, or even feel him like she had in Cloud City. But even as she reached out with the Force she knew it was pointless. Luke was too far away, and besides, he didn't even know she felt this way. She was almost certain that he was attracted to Leia, despite the fact that they were actually brother and sister thought they didn't know it. She glanced enviously at Leia. At least she'd managed to kiss Han before he'd been frozen in carbonite. What she would do for a kiss from Luke.

"Let's get out of here." She said. She needed to walk, to think, and she couldn't do it in the noisy cantina. Leia nodded and they left. As they stepped out onto the street and walked back toward their tiny ship, a large figure who looked half alien half human blocked their way.

"These the ones?" he asked in a deep voice.

"Yeah, that's them." A familiar voice said from behind him. Lark glared at the man she'd splashed her drink on.

"If you don't mind, you're blocking the way." She said, raising her chin. She wasn't afraid yet. He lightsaber was under her cloak even though that was only for life or death situations, and she knew plenty of hand to hand combat maneuvers she could use.

"You insulted my brother?" the large man demanded.

"I implied that next time he goes courting he should apply a few hygienic tricks and gave him some advice on how to go about that." Lark said. "I didn't insult him." She waved her hand slightly without any real hope. Despite the fact that she was very in tune with thoughts and emotions, she sucked at any real control.

"Well he says you did." The man leaned closer. Lark wrinkled her nose at his bad breath, deciding it must run in the family.

"I'm sure we can discuss this calmly without violence." Leia said. "All that happened was a misunderstanding…"

"Misunderstanding my right toenail." The little one said, still safely behind his brother.

"Excuse me, can I be of assistance?"

Lark smiled at the tall, dark man who had stepped in near her side. "I don't think he understands the meaning of that word, Lando. It has more than one syllable."

"So sorry. How can I help?"

"Get out of the way!" the large man bellowed. Leia and Lark raised their eyebrows in sync.

"Now, don't yell. That makes me draw out this little toy." Lando pulled out a small blaster. "And when I pull it out I don't like to put it back until I shoot something. Or someone." His eyes narrowed, and his tone lost its playfulness. "And my friend over there doesn't like yelling either." He gestured toward a giant wookie.

The man eyed the gun, then Lando, then the gun again. He stepped back mumbling to himself. Lando waited until he was gone and then put the blaster back in its hiding place under his belt.

"That was convenient. Running him through with my lightsaber would've been a bit too attention drawing." Lark and Leia fell in step with him and Chewbacca.

"What are you two doing here?" Lando asked.

"Sightseeing." Leia said.

"You're supposed to be back at the rebel base by now. Do you know how dangerous this could be?" Lando shook his head angrily. "Why didn't you go back?"

Leia hesitated, obviously not wanting to spill out her entire heart. Lark covered for her.

"Because Han is our friend too. And you're right, it is dangerous. But it's less dangerous when you have someone helping you."

Chewie growled.

"People. Humans." Lark added.

"I guess there's no point in sending you back now." Lando muttered.

"No." Lark and Leia said at the same time.

"Fine."

""Great. So what's the plan?"

"You two don't have a plan?" Lando stopped and studied them. They both nodded. "Join the club because neither do I."


	4. Plans

_**This is what I had up as chapter three, but in actuality it's chapter four, so read chapter three instead. I accidentaly put this one ahead of three. Also at the end of this chapter is a preview for a story I just put up called The Will of the Force. Take a look.**_

Plans

The corridors always held an eerie sense of mystery that was about the same as Bob had seen lurking in the fog on Dagobah, only this one was tainted with darkness, especially alone at night, though in space night and day were interchangeable; the only thing keeping them separate was the clock, which now read a little past one thirty in the morning. The watches had changed half an hour ago, and all was quiet as he slipped as stealthily as a shadow from one hall to the next, nodding to the occasional person at a station, which became less and less frequent as he headed for the bowels of the station. As he went, he reached out with the Force, feeling for anyone ahead of him. The place was deserted.

As he searched with the Force, he felt his senses touch something, not even something just the presence of something, like a magnet something into contact with the energy field around another magnet. And like a magnet he was drawn to it. He cautiously rounded a corner and came face to face with a wall. Bob frowned. Why make a corridor lead to a dead end? Even if he didn't sense something coming from behind the barrier, it didn't make sense. He probed gently until he found a weak spot and pushed. A door swung open to reveal a small room made of glass with a door on the other end leading to another room. Bob went in and the door immediately shut behind him. Panicked, he swung around, but relaxed when he saw a doorknob on the inside. Obviously it was only meant for keeping people out. He took a step toward the other door, noticing where the Force presence was coming from: inside the other room, a girl with dark brown hair was sleeping on a bed. She looked young, only about eight or so. He cautiously opened the door, wondering if this was a prisoner, or some kind of special project of the sith lord. As he entered the room, the girl stirred and opened a pair of dazzling green eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked suspiciously. "Where's my master?"

"Your who?" Bob asked, confused.

"My master. Lord Vader. Where is he? And why are you here?" she stood up and glared at Bob. "It's the middle of the night. Who are you?"

Bob thought furiously, but a single equation played in his mind, one that Jesse had taught him. _The Sith is made up of two: a master and an apprentice. No more, no less._ That was a bit disturbing considering that There were now apparently four Sith, sort of. Sidious, Vader, himself, and the girl.

_All the more reason to get out of here, Bob. Vader's not going to keep you around for very long if you can't match the girl._

_Unless the girl is out of the picture._

Bob snapped that line closed. He'd been here too long if those kinds of thoughts could creep in whenever they wanted.

"Are you deaf or something? Who are you?"

"A worker here." Bob answered cautiously, wondering how he should play this. Vader might not like it if the girl told him he'd been in here. "My name's Bob."

The girl snorted. "That's a stupid name."

"Really? What's yours then?" _Brat. _

"Why should I tell you?"

"I told you mine."

"So?"

"So I could kill you if I wanted." _And I do want, little pest._

The girl raised an eyebrow and snorted again. "Please. You couldn't stand a chance."

"That's quite a boast considering I'm about twice your size." Bob said. He was really flying this one by the seat of his pants.

"Live and learn." A voice said. Bob shot a sideways glare at Kitch. _Not helping._

"Oh really? I'd like to see you make the aggressive move for once." Kitch said.

"You would?" Bob asked. He turned to the girl, more annoyed by Kitch than anything else. "I'll make you a bet then. I win, you tell me your name and some other things. You win…" he stopped for a minute.

"I turn you in to Lord Vader to be executed." She narrowed her eyes. "No one is supposed to be down here."

Bob cocked his head.

"Don't do it. It's too big of a risk." Kitch said.

"You just told me to be aggressive." Bob said. He was pretty sure the girl thought he was nuts, talking to the air like this. "Now shut up."

"She might surprise you." '

"No, I might surprise you when I kill you next. And don't say I can't because I will find a way." He turned back to the girl and drew his lightsaber, setting it on low power. A flicker of surprise was quickly masked as she drew her own weapon. She barely had time to activate it before attacking. Her whole style of fighting made Bob certain he could win, but Kitch was right, she did surprise him. She was aggressive and seemed to know no fear, and she handled her weapon with the ease that only came from years of practice. He wondered how old she was. She actually might have been able to win if she hadn't been so offensive. He felt her reaching out for the dark side, but she didn't have enough skill to use it as stamina when her own gave out. Bob didn't even try to win, he just let her run out of steam. Soon she was groping for the Force like a swimmer when they surface, and Bob casually touched his saber to her neck. She glared and deactivated her own.

"Name?" Bob asked.

"Lor Assant." She hissed. Her green eyes blazed fire.

"Nice to meet you." _Not._ "And how long have you been here?"

"Six years."

Bob frowned. "How old are you?"

"Ten."

"So you came here… from an orphanage?"

"So?" the glare, which had begun to relax, returned.

"Nothing. And Vader's training you?"

"And you apparently."

Bob nodded, thinking, and quietly grateful that she had been too busy during the fight to notice the minimum amount of Force – particularly dark Force – that he'd used.

_So Vader already has an apprentice, probably planning on overthrowing his master. That's why there are always only two Sith. They just keep killing each other._ Bob reasoned. _So when he met up with me, he figured why not cut off the waiting time a little. But then I keep stalling with the training, so he's still keeping her around until he sees if I work out or not. Either way, one of us is toast._

"So Bob, will it be you or her?" KItch asked.

Bob didn't answer. Of course logically he should be getting his butt out of there. Let Vader kill the emperor, it might make it easier for the rebels. But… he glanced at the girl, arrogant, bratty, aggressive, but also unafraid. What was it Jesse had said?

Fear leads to anger, anger to hate, and hate to the dark side. But there wasn't any fear, or anger really. She took the dark side as matter of fact because she'd never been taught anything else.

_If Jedi who have always been taught light and nothing else can turn to the dark side, can Sith who have been taught darkness and nothing else turn to the light? _Bob wondered.

"An age old question." Kitch murmured.

No, the question really was, was he willing to risk it? It would be his life on the line if he stayed. Sooner or later Vader would find out. Better to leave now and forget this whole thing. But… there was always that but. And the way Bob saw it, Jesse and Kimmy had had plenty to do eighteen years ago when they'd run through the temple looking for Vader. It would've been easier for them to just leave him, but they hadn't. They'd saved his life. Wasn't Bob obligated to pass on that debt? He studied the girl. It wouldn't be easy, but it just might be worth it.

"I have a lot more questions." He said.

She raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to win again for that."

"Ok." He took out his saber.

"There's such a fine line between wisdom and foolishness." Kitch murmured. Bob had been hoping for words if encouragement, but he should've known by now that that wasn't Kitch's style.

He thought it would be harder to make Lor think she won, but actually she was such an aggressive fighter and so cocky that it was almost too easy. When she put her saber against his neck triumphantly, he shrugged and shut his off.

"You're pretty good." He said, playing his cards carefully. This would be the tricky part, making her not turn him in to Vader. Otherwise he'd be done. "I didn't realize just how good."

She cocked her head. "I know."

"And that undercut… wow. Think you could teach me that?" Bob had learned how to do that particular move long ago, but it was the right bait, and Lor snapped it up.

"It's not that hard, when you know what you're doing." She added the last part a bit condescendingly.

"Well you know what you're doing."

"I do. I can show you though; I'm sure it won't take you _too_ long to pick it up."

Bob raised his eyebrows. "How about if I come back every night?" he saw her start to hesitate. "Unless you need sleep." He added a touch of his own condescension.

"I'm fine. Do _you_ need sleep?"

"I'll be here tomorrow night." Bob turned to the door, realizing for the first time that the windows he'd seen form the other side of the wall weren't windows at all, but one way glass. He stiffened slightly. Anyone could have been watching. A quick Force probe told him he was in the clear. The door opened easily at his touch, which surprised him. Obviously Vader didn't want her going out and sniffing all over the station.

"It only doesn't let me out." Lor explained. A hint of longing was in her voice, and Bob realized that he really was doing the right thing. He nodded and slipped out.

Lando had finally come up with a plan. Unfortunately neither of the girls agreed to it.

"Look, if I can get in there as a guard, I can maybe unfreeze Han." Lando said.

"But we won't be able to help you if you get in trouble." Leia protested.

"I… I don't think you two should come in with me." Lando said hesitantly.

"I'm going in whether it's with you or not." Leia said stubbornly.

"Leia…"

"You're not my boss, and if I may remind you, it's your fault we're in this mess." Leia snapped.

Lando looked away, and Lark automatically touched his arm. "You did what you could." She said. "You thought you were doing right by your people. And you're doing right now."

"Hmm." Lando said. Leia looked away, and Lark nearly drowned in the two torrents of emotions raging between the two. Lando ran a hand through his hair, and Lark knew that one of the primary objectives of his plan was to keep them away from Jabba, but she also sensed that it wasn't just because he wanted to keep them out of danger.

"Lando." She said. "You don't have to play martyr."

"I'm not…"

"Shut up, because you are. It's not all your fault. It's partially your fault, but it's not _all_ your fault, ok? If we were counting blame, we could blame Han for not paying off his debts to Jabba, or Bobba Fett for handing him over, or Vader for giving him to Fett, or Sidious for turning Anakin to the dark side, or Obi-Wan for training Anakin, or Qui-Gon Jinn for insisting that he be trained."

"Who?" Lando asked.

"It doesn't matter. Things in the galaxy never rest on one person's shoulders. We all make mistakes, and we all have to pay for them, but no one should be stuck up enough to refuse help when it's offered."

Lando was silent for a long while then Leia reached for his hand. "I'm sorry. I was blaming you."

"You should."

"Lark's right. You tried to do what you thought was best. We need to move on, or we'll never figure this out." She sat back and cleared her throat. "I have a plan."

Lark and Lando looked up.

"It's simple really. I take Chewie, dress up as a bounty hunter, and go in for the price. Then I can unfreeze Han, and we'll get out. Lando will be there to cover for me if I need help."

"What about me?"

"Wait, you're not agreeing with this crazy plan, are you?" Lando asked.

"Yes. But I want in."

Lando opened his mouth and then shut it.

"Wise man." Lark said.

"No, I just figured that you'll do it with or without my approval, so I might as well approve so I can keep an eye on you."

"I repeat, 'wise man'. What about me? Can I dress up as a bounty hunter too?"

Lando looked at her. "Why not?" he muttered.

"Good."

Fog enveloped his ship as he searched for a safe spot to land it. Finally Jesse spotted what he was looking for: a rare patch of rock in among the trees, almost hidden by ferns and moss growing through the cracks. He thanked the Force his ship was small and landed, shutting down the engine an opening the hatch. Then he stepped out into a world where the humidity was so thick you could cut it and serve it on a platter, but for all that you never could feel fully warm. Jesse reached out with the Force. He had no idea where Yoda was, but he knew he was here, unless old age had finally overcome the little Jedi master. He hoped not. He needed him.

"A long time it has been, hmm, young Jesse?"

Jesse jumped and whirled but stopped just short of activating his lightsaber. He recognized the voice and it filled him with relief.

"Jumpy you are. Expect the unexpected you should." Yoda, the three-foot Jedi master advised Jesse from a fallen log.

"What about when the unexpected is shielding themselves?" Jesse asked dryly, but he couldn't keep from grinning.

"Looking for me, I assume you are." Yoda went on. "Much turmoil I sense."

"That's an understatement." Jesse took a deep breath. "Do you have a cave or mud pit around here where we can talk?"

"Think that of my home, you do?" Yoda snorted. "Never any manners you had. Come." He led the way through the dense fen and to a small clay hut that Jesse had to duck to get into. He automatically reached out with his senses and started in surprise, but Yoda only nodded.

"Sense young Bob and Luke, you do."

"How…"

"Sensed you land I did." Yoda continued. "Need my help you do."

"Yes." Jesse didn't quite know where to start. "The rebellion needs you. But that's not why I'm here." He quickly added the last part before Yoda could say anything. "I've been having nightmares and not being able to sleep. And… Kimmy and I had a shout out before I left to go look for Lark and the rest. Then when I got back I found out that she had gone to look for me." He didn't know how much sense that had made, but Yoda was nodding.

"Too much you have seen. Too much for you to bear alone. Too many fears haunt you. Wish to consume you they do." He raised a finger. "Strong you are. Cling to the Force; the only way to remain strong it is."

Jesse nodded. "I need to find Kimmy."

Yoda sat back. "No."

"No?"

"Meditate you must. Then look."

Jesse gave Yoda a knowing look, remembering padawan days of meditation. It looked like he would be taking a trip back to the past, and though the delay irked him, he had learned long ago never to argue with the old Jedi master.

_**The Will of the Force -**_

"...I've been having dreams again lately. They're like the ones I had before my mother and Padme died – vivid and haunting. I dream I am standing in front of my old master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. In my dream, we are fighting, and then he salutes me with his saber, and I run him through. That should please me. As a Sith, it's be my duty to kill any Jedi I run across, not to mention the fact that killing my old master would bring a lot of personal satisfaction. This dream should not trouble me the way it does, it should make me glad. But it doesn't..."

"...So what does that mean? I have to keep killing people to keep the dark side flowing pure in me? For some reason that doesn't seem quite right. After all, Sidious went for years without killing anyone before he came to power, though his skills aren't nearly as good as mine when it come to lightsaber techniques. He's more of a diplomat, and quite a powerful one at that. He spent his time carefully chipping away at the seams of the republic rather than chopping peoples' heads off like me. Maybe it amounts to the same thing for him.

It's too bad I'm on a ship in hyperspace, otherwise I could kill someone and get a good night's sleep..."

"..."She's my grandmother." The boy said, kneeling down next to me. He can only seven or eight.

_About the age of the younglings…_

_Would you shut up?_

"I never knew her." The boy continues.

I turn my thoughts to what he'd said. Was this Owen Lars' boy?

"Is Owen your father?" I ask, wondering why I care.

"No, he's my uncle."

Uncle? I had thought Owen was an only child. Unless…

No.

But… it's possible…

"Where's your father?" I'm amazed that my voice functions at all.

The boy looks right through my mask into my eyes somehow. Force, he looks like me when I was a boy lifetimes ago. "Dead." he says..."

"..."I wanted to know something." I begin, a little shakily, but at least it gets rid of the cursed silence. "It's this: I had the best master in the Jedi order, my midichlorian count was sky high, I was an apprentice and yet on the council, I was the chosen one, for pity's sake! How in the world did I turn to the dark side?" With that over, I sit back and wait for his answer. It's slow in coming. Obi-Wan must have been a better master than both he and I thought, here I am a full fledged Sith and yet I'm practically on my knees begging him for answers to questions best left in the past..."

"..."Well, Anakin, here it is." Obi-Wan turns to me, and I feel a twisting like a knife in the pit of my stomach. "We can proceed with our fight, and you can go back to your master if I don't kill you first."

The knife twists again, and I look into his eyes. In the blue depths I see not only him, but the Jedi younglings I killed at the Temple, I see the whole order, my mother, Padme, and I see my son, Luke..."


	5. Deeper In

Deeper In

Lark was tired. Not sleepy – she would never have been able to sleep through the tension – but exhausted from sitting still but remaining perfectly alert. Her mind had gone over all the things that could go wrong over and over again despite trying to focus, and now that it was dark with only a few aliens deep in a drunken sleep lying on the floor, Lark needed something to break the tension. Jabba was asleep; it was time. She looked at Leia, whose desperate face probably mirrored her own under her helmet and nodded. They both rose as silently as they could, though Lark's knees and back cracked as she got up. She winced and then rolled her neck. The pop could've been a blaster. Leia glared at her.

The crept forward through the empty darkness to the wall that had haunted Lark through the afternoon. Leia reached out and activated a switch, lowering the slab of carbonite to ground level. The hum made sounded louder than a hyperdrive in the stillness, broken only by snores of the drunken aliens. Leia flipped several switches with her trembling hands and the carbonite began to melt away. Han fell forward, and Lark and Leia caught him.

"Is he breathing?" Lark asked.

Leia held her face close to Han's, listening. Suddenly Han began coughing. "I'd say yes." Leia murmured.

"I can't see." Han said, feeling around in the darkness. Lark looked at Leia.

"Your eyesight will return in time." She said.

"Let's get out of here." Lark muttered, but Leia shook her head. Lark sighed. Yes, Leia was worried about Han, but they needed to leave. Now.

"Where am I?"

"Jabba's palace." Leia answered.

"Who are you?"

Leia removed her helmet, and Lark winced. _Leia, put that thing back on. We're not out of this by a long shot. _

"Someone who loves you." She said.

"Leia."

"I've gotta get you out of here." Leia started to help Han up, but a deep guttural laugh suddenly pierced the darkness, making Lark's hair stand on end.

"What's that? I know that laugh." Han looked around frantically, trying to see. Lark cursed. A curtain at the far side of the room was pushed aside, and Jabba and several other aliens were revealed.

"Hey, Jabba. Look, Jabba, I was just on my way to pay you back, but I got a little sidetracked. It's not my fault." Han tried to explain.

Jabba said something in Hutteese that Lark took to be a no. She felt for her lightsaber, knowing this was pointless.

"Look…" Han said, but Jabba interrupted with something else. The guards grabbed for Han, and Lark reached for her saber but stopped.

If I draw it now, they'll shoot, and Han can't dodge blaster shots. Wait. It was one of the hardest things she had to do.

Suddenly Jabba took a notice of her and Leia. A guard pulled off her helmet, and her blonde hair fell free to her shoulders. He grinned evilly and said something else. The guards pushed her forward.

"Heck, no." In one swift movement Lark had her saber out, and one of the guards was missing an arm. Another one fell to the ground, dead. She spun to deflect bolts at her and Leia, shielding the princess and herself. Strangely enough, the guards didn't try to take her. They simply shot, driving her back. She frowned, but suddenly realized the answer right as the floor opened up beneath her. The last thing she heard was Leia's scream as she fell backwards into the abyss.

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Bob knew his time was running out. He was calculating how long it would take before he dared to show Lor the light side and how long it would take for Vader to take notice of him. He thanked the rebels and the construction of the death star for keeping the sith busy for the moment, but he knew that couldn't last. The weapon was almost done, and then the rebels would have something to worry about instead of the other way around.

He'd gone to see Lor every day, and she seemed to look forward to it, though she tried not to show it. She was arrogant, enjoying pointing out his faults, and impulsive, never thinking when she was fighting him or about what she was going to say, but for all that Bob could sense something in her, something true as steel. She was always honest with him whenever she decided to open up, and the thought of lying never seemed to occur to her. If she didn't want to say something, she simply refused. Bob wondered if she had realized that Vader was lying to her. That just might be the key to everything.

The question was, how to tell her? He didn't know. He was still trying to figure it out as he went down the now familiar corridors to the hidden room. Lor would be waiting, ready to 'teach' him again today, and yell at him for his form and inability to channel the Force. A hint of an idea occurred to Bob. It was risky, but so was every other aspect of his life at the moment.

"Hi." He said, going through the door.

"Where were you?" she demanded. "You're late."

By five minutes. Bob didn't bother answering the question.

"You ready?" she asked, saber activated. Bob answered by activating his own.

"Let's go through the drills first." She said.

"Sure." Bob assumed his position. "I was wondering," he said, "when do you think you'll be getting out of here?"

"When I'm ready." She answered. "Soon I hope."

"Did Vader give you a time frame?"

"Training doesn't have a specific time frame." She answered. "Just look at yourself."

"Is that an insult?" Bob asked.

"How old are you, and you don't even have a basic grasp of most of this stuff."

If only she knew. And she would in a moment. "I'm just trying to figure out when he'll put me to use." Bob said. He didn't need to say anything else; he'd planted the seed of doubt. And it made her mad. She came down hard on his saber, nearly knocking it from his hand.

"Pay attention." She snapped. "No wonder you're so bad."

Bob struck out of no where, and she just barely managed to parry. She narrowed her eyes. "So that's how you're going to be?" she came back swinging.

This time, Bob didn't try to hide. He let the Force in, pulling down the dams he'd constructed. It was now or never, all or nothing. He felt the Force flow through him, swift and sure, like rain on Tatooine. Suddenly Lor's tiger-like attack wasn't strong enough. Bob channeled the strength, only holding back slightly to keep from hurting Lor and because of the corner of his mind that wanted to merge some darkness with it. But it didn't matter. In a matter of minutes after Lor had started to waver, Bob held his saber to her neck. They both deactivated their weapons at the same time.

Lor looked pale, but something inside her was sparked. It was the need to expand and build herself, to be better, not for glory, but for personal satisfaction. She stared wide eyed at Bob.

"What was that?" she asked.

"That was the Force." Bob answered. "Pure light."

She thought for what seemed like forever. "It Vader wasn't gone for a few days, you'd be toast." She said. "There's no way he couldn't feel that."

"Did you feel it?"

"Yes. What are you doing here?"

All the cards were already on the table. Bob told her everything he could without giving away the rebellion. She listened in awe.

"Wait… why did you stay?" she asked when he was done.

Bob didn't answer. He knew she would figure it out for herself.

And she did. "You wanted to rescue me. But you couldn't until you could trust me. But you can't. Not now, not ever." She said.

"Maybe. I wanted to leave today, but if you don't want to, I'll wait."

She raised her eyebrows. "You will? What if I never want to go?"

"Do you?"

She glared at him. "I'm apprenticed to Vader."

"He's going to train me too. How many apprentices does a sith have? One, which happens to be Vader. He said you'd serve the empire with your training, but did he mention that he'd be the emperor instead?" Bob watched her reaction. She seemed to be trying to stay strong and tough.

"Lor." Bob said. "You can stay here and be Vader's apprentice, or you can come with me and be who you want to be. I stayed because I didn't sense darkness around you. You haven't had the choice; Vader chose for you. Now you can choose."

Lor took a deep breath. "I never trusted Vader." She said. "But I wanted to learn how to fight." She looked up. "I want to join the rebellion. I want to fight him."

Bob eyes her carefully. He'd have to be careful about her, especially about that last sentence, but it was good enough for now. He opened the door.

"Let's go."

She paused outside the door. "Can I?"

"Go through the door?"

"It won't open for me."

"But you can go through." Bob held it wider and she tentatively stepped through. As she did, she seemed to be leaving some of herself behind and stepping into a new person.

With Vader gone, Bob was confident he could get out. He strode into the hangar confidently, and the storm troopers only nodded. Bob pointed to a ship.

"Get in that one; I'll go get clearance to leave." He wondered if he would be able to, but he figured it was worth a try. He went into the control room.

"Lord Vader sent me a message this morning that I was to join him." Bob said. "I'll need clearance to leave."

"We received no message…" the commander began, but Bob cut him off.

"Then it's obviously none of your business." Bob snapped. "Do you want me to tell Vader that you kept me waiting? Or better yet…" he didn't want to risk doing a Force choke, but he sent waves of Force-heat at the commander. "… I could just fry you here." He said.

The commander quickly began flipping switches to enable the ship to take off. Bob strode out of the command center and into his ship.

"That was easy enough." He said.

"What do we do when Vader comes back?" Lor asked. She didn't look scared, far from it actually. There was a spark in her eyes that could only be excitement.

"We'll be long gone by then." Bob answered. He started going through the preflight checklist as fast as he could. Soon they were shooting off into the stars. Bob took a deep breath of relief. It felt good to be out of there.

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Kimmy refused to ask when Jesse would be back because she knew it was a pointless question. Yoda would only shake his head and say, 'Impatient you are? Back soon enough, he will be.' It was getting exceedingly exasperating, especially considering Jesse had been gone for days now.

_How long does it take to meditate?_ Kimmy wondered impatiently. Suddenly she looked up. Her senses had felt something, someone, familiar. She stood up and exited the house just as Jesse came into view among the trees. He froze when he saw her.

"Kimmy?"

"Hi." She said shyly.

Jesse wrapped his arms around her, never wanting to let go. "I'm sorry." He said.

"Don't be." Kimmy tried not to cry, but it was a losing battle.

"We always were ones to fight, weren't we?" Jesse asked.

Kimmy laughed through her tears. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Looking for you. What are you doing here?"

Kimmy laughed again. "What do you think? Looking for you. Now we can go find Lark."

Jesse frowned, wondering if now was a good time to tell her what he'd figured out. "No." he said quietly, deciding there was no better time than now.

"What?"

"Kimmy…." Jesse took a deep breath. "I saw Lark."

"Where?"

"Cloud City. She helped me escape."

"Why didn't she come?" Kimmy's eyes asked a question, but Jesse shook his head.

"She's fine. She's… she's in love with Luke." Jesse quickly told her what he knew about the situation.

"So Lark wanted to stay to help." Kimmy shrugged. "We can too."

"No, we need to go back. I don't know how to explain it, but we're needed back there. And Lark needs to be on her own." Jesse didn't like it any more than Kimmy, but four days of meditation didn't lie.

Kimmy shook her head. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. You were _right_, Jesse. She's too young; it's too dangerous…"

"She's old enough. She's a Jedi, Kimmy."

"She's our daughter!"

Any other time, Jesse would have laughed at the irony of the situation. They seemed to have switched view points.

"Jesse." A voice said from behind Kimmy. Jesse looked over her shoulder and broke into a grin.

"Shey? What are you doing here?"

"Wife-sitting. You gotta take better care of her, Jess." Shey hugged his brother warmly.

"And you should take better care of someone else too." Kimmy muttered. Jesse sighed.

"Can't you just admit it when you're right? Why do you have to go changing your opinion? Women!"

"Oh, please! You're such a hypocrite!"

"You…"

"Enough!"

Everyone looked over to see a small but extremely serious Jedi master. Yoda glared at all of them. "Learned nothing over the past forty odd years, have you?"

Jesse and Kimmy looked down.

"Listen to the Force you must. How much listening have you been?" Yoda asked Kimmy.

Kimmy didn't answer.

"I'm sorry, Kimmy. I shouldn't have yelled." Jesse said quietly.

"It's just…" Kimmy looked up. "I'm so sick of this. I need to do something."

"Do something you will. Something for all to do there is."

Jesse looked up, catching the hidden meaning. "You're coming too?" he asked.

"Waiting for someone I am, but later come I will. Then something for you to do there will be." Yoda said.

Kimmy wondered what he was talking about, but she didn't think it would be wise to ask. She only nodded. "I guess we'd better be getting back then."

_**It feels really wierd writing Vader as a bad guy in this story and then writing form his point of view in my other one. Anywho, please review!**_


	6. Transitions

Transitions

"Why can't you teach me?" Lor asked Bob for the millionth time.

"Because we're in hyperspace. I've already shown you all the buttons and dials. There's nothing left to learn until we land." Bob answered, trying to be patient. Why had he ever thought that Lor's enthusiasm was a good thing?

"We can't go out of hyperspace for a little while?" Lor begged.

Bob shot her a look. "And then get caught by our favorite sith? I think not."

She frowned. "Then let's fight."

Bob was tired. He shook his head. "You do some drills."

"Those are boring."

_For crying out loud._ All Bob wanted to do was sleep. He thought of an idea.

"If you promise me not to touch anything without permission, I'll let you stay up here in charge of the ship while I go back and get some sleep." He told Lor. "Deal?"

"Deal."

Bob gratefully relinquished his chair and went out back to lie down. It was nice not to have to worry about anyone seeing your secret while you slept for once. He closed his eyes.

_The dark waves washed over him, sweeping him with them. He struggled to grab hold of something and keep from falling into the black sea below. Water washed over him, filling his nose and ears. He tried to scream for help and got water in his mouth too. It tasted like motor oil, bitter and slimy. Suddenly he realized it wasn't water, it was blood, and its sliminess was making him lose his grip on the rock. _

_"Lark! Jesse!" he yelled, getting more blood in his mouth. He spit it out and started coughing. Suddenly the rush of blood stopped. Above him stood Vader, his red blade lighting up the features of his black helmet. He raised it and cut Bob's hands. The flow continued, this time carrying Bob with it. He landed with a splash in the thick liquid and sank deeper and deeper._

The light! Where's the light?_ Bob reached mentally for it, but something was blocking it. He felt his lungs begin to burn as he ran out of oxygen. His head pounded, and black spots swam before his eyes. _

Bob gasped for breath as he jerked awake. He felt for his hands – they were there. He sank back again.

_Force, where did that come from?_

_Did you really expect to be able to be half dark for that long without any side effects? _His mind answered. If so, you're seriously mistaken.

_Well I don't think it anymore._ He snapped at himself, wondering how in the world he was supposed to get any sleep. Then another thought occurred: how was he supposed to show Lor the light side of the Force if he couldn't even find it? He sat up and concentrated, reaching out with the Force, even farther than he had in his fight with Lor. Only he ran into a road block. Startled, he pulled back and then tried again. Once more he hit an invisible wall, one he couldn't get through for some reason.

_What the sith is going on? _

"Having trouble?"

Bob glared at Kitch. "This is not a laughing matter."

"I know."

"So help."

"Just what do you want me to do?" Kitch asked.

Bob opened his mouth to answer and then shut it. Just what was Kitch supposed to do? What could anyone do? He tested the wall again. It felt solid. He needed help, but he didn't think Kitch could help, after all he was really only a ghost. He sank, defeated, to the floor.

"I didn't say it was impossible; I just said I couldn't help." Kitch said.

"I give up." Bob said. "I don't know how can help me, or even if anyone can. I dove headfirst into the dark side, and I did it willingly. Doesn't that mean anything?"

Kitch cocked his head. "What do you think?"

"I don't know! If I had answers, would I be asking you?"

"Easy, Bob. You'll get your answers."

"When?"

"Soon. But some things you'll wish you didn't know when you find out."

Bob glared at him. "You know, just for once you could try being encouraging. Who knows? You might like it."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kimmy took Jesse's ship back while Jesse and Shey went in Shey's ship. At first Jesse had wanted to go with her, but Kimmy wanted to be alone. She needed to think.

Yoda had pulled her aside as they were getting ready to leave the next morning to talk to her alone. He had studied her for a few moments, as if trying to put into words what he was sensing. Finally he sighed.

"Taken responsibility for yourself you always have." He said.

Kimmy nodded, grimacing inwardly. She always had felt it her responsibility to fix things, whether it was her problem or not.

"In another's hands the fate of the galaxy rests. Help him you must, but let him do his task alone you also must."

Kimmy studied him. "You mean Luke." She said. "Is he coming back here?"

"Uncertain the future is. Someone else who needs your help more there is." Yoda answered evasively. Kimmy had sighed. She had learned long ago never to expect a straight answer from Master Yoda.

Now as she lifted off of the planet Dagobah, wondering just what she was flying into, she sighed again. It seemed like the older she got the less she knew. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

She followed Jesse, waiting for him to make the jump to hyperspace before doing so herself. The stars blurred, and the engine began to hum. Kimmy leaned back in her chair and rested her head against the seat. Maybe she should have told Yoda what Jesse had told her – that Lark was in love with Luke, but she doubted it would have made a difference. Luke had an unsteady road ahead of him. She only hoped Lark could be strong enough to either walk with him or walk away.

_Lark, wherever you are, I love you._ She thought._ Please be safe. I'm so proud of you, but I just want you to come home. _

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Lark used to Force to twist and land on her feet, drawing her lightsaber as she fell, but she stopped herself from activating it. It had always amused her dad how she would rather hide than fight or run. She did that now, masking her Force presence and slipping into a crevice in the rough stone wall. An iron door creaked and groaned as it was opened, and a hideously large creature emerged from the blackness behind it. Lark held her breath, and prayed the creature couldn't see in the dark or smell very well. That is to say, she hoped it didn't have a very good sense of smell; it smelled quite strongly. The creature rambled forward, trying to see in the darkness. Lark reached out hesitantly, feeling invisibly for its mind.

Fear, hurt. Anger at those who beat and starved him. Desire to find and kill. Lark felt pity reach out almost of its own violation toward the creature. She gently prodded its simple mind, inviting it to sleep. The creature slumped against the floor, and Lark sent it a dream of freedom.

She wondered it she dared to move from her spot and then decided not yet when the creature half stirred as she tried to creep forward. She settled back against the rock and waited. For what she didn't know.

**_Yeah, I know that was super short, but it was a filler chapter. Sorry._**


	7. Reunions

Reunions

"Are we there yet?" Lor asked as soon as Bob entered the cockpit.

"Considering I don't even know where we are…" Bob rubbed his bleary eyes and studied the charts.

"Did you sleep good?"

"Sure."

"Liar."

"Shut up." Bob didn't mean it, and Lor grinned.

"Can we fight now?"

"No, we're there."

"Really?"

"No, I'm a liar, remember?"

She pretended to scowl at him, and Bob grinned in spite of himself. She was annoying, but somehow her endless energy always diffused into him. At least one of them was in a good mood.

"How much longer then?"

"A while."

"Can you be more specific?" she looked at the charts, but since she didn't even know where they were going, they weren't much help to her.

"A day or so."

"So long?"

"It would be shorter, but someone seems to have slowed us down by taking us out of hyperspace for a while."

Lor shrugged. "I wanted to see if I could."

"Well I guess you could." Bob shook his head, but somehow he couldn't get mad. "I thought you weren't supposed to touch anything. The first thing a Jedi padawan has to learn is how to obey orders."

"Oh. Sorry, _Master_." Lor said sarcastically.

Bob rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to be her master, but he didn't bother mentioning it. He wasn't even done training himself.

_Too bad._ He thought. _She'd be fun to train._

_Right, not like you don't have enough things to worry about._ Maybe Kimmy could train her. In the mean time, he was going to try to break through the barrier in his mind. And it might be good for Lor to learn to quiet her mind. No, it would _definitely_ be good for her.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lark looked up as she heard a familiar voice. He heart started pounding. _Luke._

"I must be allowed to speak." Luke said.

Jabba yelled something in Hutteese, and Lark winced. That really didn't sound good.

_How did he know? Does he have a plan? How can I get out of here to help him? _Lark held her breath, straining to hear. Luke sounded like he was directly over her. She hoped not. Otherwise, he'd be falling through the trapdoor too.

"I'm taking Captain Solo and his friends. You can either profit by this or be destroyed! It's your choice. But I warn you not to underestimate my powers." He said.

Jabba's deep, guttural laugh echoed down to Lark. She half stood, glancing at the rancor, who seemed to be stirring. Suddenly the ceiling opened, and Luke and a guard came flying down. The sound of laughter followed them. Luke lept to his feet as soon as he landed, and Lark jumped out to stand beside him, drawing her saber.

"Lark?"

"Hi. Nice to see you again." Lark's smile felt like a grimace. She glanced up to see a crowd gathering around the opening. "Any ideas?"

Luke looked calmly around as the rancor stood, grumbling, made madder by his awakening from the dream. In one leap he was on top of the guard. The audience cheered.

"Come one." Luke dashed away, picking up a long bone lying on the floor. Lark wondered where his saber was.

"No." Lark stepped between him and the monster. She wasn't as good at fighting as Luke or her dad, and she wasn't as good as planning and strategizing as Bob, but she was good at one thing: feeling. And the rancor's feelings were screaming out to her through its shieldless mind. She held open both her hands, palms toward him both as a barrier and as a bridge.

_Easy there. I know you're scared. So am I._ She let him feel her fear. She wanted to use the Force to hold him still, but she knew that would only make him madder. She stroked him mentally. He growled, threatening and huge, but he didn't move. She sensed Luke looking for a way out behind her, but she didn't take her focus off the beast.

_I won't hurt you. You're ok. You're alright._ The rancor's growls turned to whines, and he lowered himself, practically begging. Lark reached out and touched his head, stroking it. The skin was scaly and hard.

"You're ok." She murmured. She felt him reaching out emotionally, and she let her mind meet him.

The crack of a whip snapped from above, and he jumped up, howling. Lark felt herself thrown backward into the wall. For a minute her vision went black. She felt a pair of arms lift her.

"I'm ok." She gasped, trying to breathe. Her vision cleared.

"Let's go." Luke kept his arm around her waist, helping her run toward the gate to the holding cave. He reached for the door and pushed the button to open it. Lark's heart sank as she saw a gate between them and safety.

"There." Lark pointed to a main control panel as the rancor barreled toward them, mad with pain and anger. Lark wanted to kill the people who had done that to him. As he approached, Luke picked up a skull and hurled it at the panel. The door came crashing down on the rancor's head, and monster fell to the ground, dead. Lark bit her lip.

Jabba said something in Hutteese, and guards seized them. Lark looked wistfully at her saber as it was taken. She looked at Luke, who didn't seem worried in the least.

_I think he knows something I don't._ She decided. She didn't really care. They were together again.

Now if only they could get free.

They were dragged up the steps back to the throne room. Lark noticed a slight twitch in Luke's calm exterior when he saw Leia. She tried not to feel to jealous.

_I really wish he knew they were siblings._ She thought and then was amazed she could think about stuff like that at the moment.

"Han!" Luke said.

"Luke!" Han squinted, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine. Together again, huh?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Luke answered.

"How are we doing?"

"The same as always."

"That bad, huh? Where're the girls?"

"I'm here." Leia said.

"Great plan we came up with, huh?" Lark muttered. She couldn't quite match the carefree tone Luke and Han were using.

"Huh." Han said.

She didn't bother listening to Jabba grunting and slurping in his language while waiting for Threepio's translation.

"Oh, dear. His High Exaltedness, the great Jabba the Hutt, has decreed that you are to be terminated immediately." Threepio said.

"Good, I hate long waits." Han muttered.

"You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc." He continued.

"Doesn't sound so bad." Han whispered to Luke. Luke just waited, his face as blank as the sand outside. Lark studied him out of the corner of her eye, wishing she could be so emotionless. They might have gotten away if she hadn't been so worried about the rancor.

"In his belly, you will find a new definition of pain and suffering, as you are slowly digested over a thousand years."

"Doesn't sound so bad?" Lark breathed. Han shifted restlessly beside her.

"On second thought, let's pass on that, huh?"

"You should have bargained, Jabba." Luke said calmly. "That's the last mistake you'll ever make."

Lark felt the hair on the back of her neck rise at Jabba's cackle. Luke sounded like he had everything under control, and something in her wanted to believe him. She wanted to be able to depend on him. Then she saw him glance at Leia.

_He's doing this for her, not me._ She thought, her heart sinking. Suddenly their close proximity wasn't a good thing anymore.

_I think I prefer the Carkoon._

The huge sail barge took them out over the sand toward the Carkoon pit. Lark noticed Lando as one of the guards surrounding them and felt a little better. Luke's expressionless face had been replaced by a small, smug smile. Lark wished they were going to die. Then she might get up the nerve to talk to him. But if they were going to escape, there was no way she could. Not that she could have a personal conversation surrounded by guards and with Han making sarcastic remarks at the end of every sentence.

"I think my eyes are getting better. Instead of a big dark blur, I see a big light blur." Han said.

"There's nothing to see. I used to live here you know." Luke answered.

"You're gonna die here, you know. Convenient."

"Just stick close to Chewie and Lando. I've taken care of everything."

"Oh, great." Han muttered.

Lark took a deep breath. "Luke, was Lando in the know all along?"

He nodded once, and Lark felt like an idiot. She and Leia had been so heroic, and now it turned out they were just busting in on a master plan, and probably messing it up too. Great.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. You saved my life in the rancor pit."

He was being nice. No one saved Luke Skywalker's life. She looked away.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Home sweet home." Kimmy muttered as the rebel base came into view. She started to bring them down, but Jesse stopped her.

"Thanks." He said.

"For what?"

"I know you didn't want to come back. If I thought it was the right thing, I would be out there right now with you right beside me, but…"

"I know. I just didn't want you to think I was incapable."

Jesse laughed. "Never." He leaned over and kissed her. Kimmy held him for a minute as years fell away and she went back to their first kiss. She'd forgotten a lot of things, and suddenly she found herself remembering.

"I love you." She breathed. "More than anything."

Jesse didn't answer. He pulled her closer.

"Um, Jesse."

"Hmm."

"Shouldn't we wait until we're in our quarters back on base?"

"We'll have to report though."

"Good point." Kimmy flicked off the transmitter and pulled them away from the base. "I think we need to waste a little more fuel in orbit, don't you?"

Jesse grinned. "I knew there was a reason I married you."


	8. Escape

Escape

The massive ship loomed before them as their speeder took them around to the edge of the pit. Lark looked down and grimaced at the long saber-like teeth. One of the guards pushed Luke forward to the small gangplank that stretched out to the middle of the pit. Suddenly Threepio's voice was amplified across the loudspeakers.

"Victims of the almighty Sarlacc: His Excellency hopes that you will die honorably. But should any of you wish to beg for mercy, the great Jabba the Hutt will now listen to your pleas."

Han stepped forward before anyone could say anything. "Threepio, you tell that slimy piece of worm-ridden filth he'll get no such pleasure from us. Right?" he hollered.

Chewie growled in agreement.

"I'm pretty good at begging." Lark said in a low tone to Han. "Comes from being Daddy's little girl."

"Jabba!" Luke yelled. "This is your last chance. Free us or die!"

Han rolled his eyes, but Lark only looked at Luke. She wanted to believe him and trust him, but all she could think about was that he would be freeing Leia. Rescuing her. Good thing Leia was in love with Han, or she would probably be jealous.

Luke was shoved forward, and Lark suddenly felt her mind reach out of its own accord. She needed to touch him, even if it was only mentally. His mind was protected naturally, but she could still feel his stray thoughts, and most of them were pointed up toward Jabba's ship. At first she thought it was because of Leia, but then she noticed the sun glinting on something. She squinted and used the Force to see better. Suddenly something came whizzing through the air just as Luke jumped, only he didn't land in the pit. Instead he grabbed onto the gangplank and somersaulted into the air. The thing, which Lark recognized as Luke's lightsaber, landed in his outstretched hand.

Chaos suddenly broke loose in the speeder. Luke freed himself, Lark, and the others and began deflecting blaster bolts from directed at them. Lark's fingers itched for her saber, but Jabba had taken it. She grabbed a blaster from a fallen guard and got to work. Lando stood beside her when suddenly the speeder shifted, sending them both toppling sideways. Lando reached out wildly and grabbed a rope, and lark managed to grab his ankles. Her body slammed into the sand.

"Han! Chewie!" Lando yelled.

"Han, get your butt over here!" Lark added a Force wave that nearly knocked Han off his feet. She made a mental note to work on that later.

"Lando! Lark!" Han felt desperately around for something to lower.

"Chewie! Help him out!" Lark yelled. Chewie guided Han to a spearhead and then began barking.

"Boba Fett?! Boba Fett?! Where?" Han yelled. Lark didn't know why he was yelling; Chewie was right beside him. Suddenly Boba came flying down beside them into the pit, his flight pack smoldering. Han lowered the spear.

"Lando! Grab it!"

"Lower it!" Lando and Lark yelled at the same time.

"I'm trying!"

A hit from Jabba's ship's gun rocked the speeder, and the rope Lando was holding onto broke. Lark screamed and decided it was no use waiting for Han to help. She sent the Force drilling into the sand like a stake and wrapped her body around it, unsure of how this would work. She'd never used the Force as something solid before, the most had ever been like the wind or a wave. Now she needed something she could hold onto. But it seemed to be working; they'd stopped sliding. As Han lowered the spear even more, Lando suddenly screamed at the same time Lark felt a strong grip on her ankle. She glanced down to see a long tentacle grabbing onto her, dragging her and Lando down.

"Han! Lower!"

"Chewie! Chewie, give me the gun. Don't move."

"You're blind!" Lando yelled.

"Just don't move!" Han yelled back.

"A little higher, Han!" Lark yelled back. She stuck herself to the sand like a suction cup and kicked at the tentacle with her other foot. It didn't move.

_Ok, what else can I do with the Force? _She remembered hearing about a Force choke and immediately wrapped it around the tentacle. She could feel the grip tighten as her hold did, but then it was suddenly gone. Lando grabbed her hand, and Han and Chewie hauled them up. Han collapsed against the rail, panting.

"Incoming." Lark said. She moved aside as Luke and Leia landed on the speeder.

"Let's go! And don't forget the droids." Luke said.

"Right." Lando sent the speeder zooming forward as Jabba's ship suddenly began exploding from the inside out. Lark felt a sudden twinge of regret as she felt the hundreds of slaves of Jabba die. And then she thought of something else.

"There goes my lightsaber."

"Or not." Leia pressed something into her hand. "Jabba kept it with him. It actually came in quite handy."

Lark hugged her and then suddenly backed away. She had caught sight of Han and gently pushed Leia toward him. Leia smiled shyly, and then Han grabbed hold of her. This time Lark's twinge was a while lot stronger as she watched.

--

As Bob entered the security code to land, he wondered what exactly he was going to tell Kimmy and Jesse. It was quite a long story, and some of it he wasn't sure if Luke wanted him to say. He sighed inwardly.

_Oh well. At least I'm home. Or whatever this is._ And at least Lor was excited. She kept looking out the windows.

"You might want to keep your eyes forward if you plan on landing this thing." Bob said.

"Right." For once there was no accompanying smart remark. Bob was grateful, and he was also grateful that she was there to fly so he could think about other things.

Lor jumped out of the cockpit the second the door was open, and Bob followed a little bit more slowly.

"Come on." He said. "I've got to find Jesse and report."

"Can I look around?"

"Not now."

Lor frowned, but her eyes were travelling around her too fast for Bob to catch more than a split second of it. He watched another ship come in for a landing.

"Wonder who that is." He muttered and then did a double take when Jesse and Kimmy emerged. Then he did another one.

"Shey?"

"I thought you told me he disappeared on you?" Shey said. Bob lunged forward at the big man.

"Bob, where did you come from?"

"Long story. And I mean long." Bob tried to think of where to begin.

"Start with leaving Hoth." Kitch said. Bob nodded. Good plan.

"Luke and I left Hoth, but then Luke had to go somewhere else." He began.

"Where?"

"Uh…" Bob decided that if he couldn't trust Jesse, he couldn't trust anyone. And now that he had his own 'Force ghost' it seemed easier to believe. "He said he'd been told by Obi-Wan Kenobi to go to Dagobah." Realization dawned on Jesse and Kimmy's faces though he didn't know why. "We went there and met up with… do you know Master Yoda?" Bob interrupted himself.

"Only a little." Kimmy said. "He trained you and Luke?"

"Started to. Then Luke sensed that Leia and the rest were in danger, so we left and went to Cloud City. Luke and I got separated, and then I met up with Darth Vader while everyone else was getting away, and Lark helped me fake turning to the darkside." Bob squirmed slightly, not sure how Jesse and Kimmy would take that. "I managed to escape and came here."

"And that is?" Jesse nodded to the girl standing beside Bob who'd been openly staring for the past few minutes.

"This is Lor. She's um… Vader's apprentice."

"Was." Lor decided that Bob had talked long enough. "I'm a rebel now. Bob's going to train me."

"Oh?" Kimmy raised her eyebrows at Bob.

"Well… I thought that maybe you could…" Bob stopped when Lor turned on him.

"So you dragged me across the galaxy to drop me in some stranger's lap?" she demanded.

"No, it's just that I'm still learning myself."

"You know more than I do, so there has to be _something_ you can teach me."

Bob started to say something and then stopped when she said that he knew more than she did. He blinked.

"We'll settle this later. I have to go find the admiral before he comes to find me." Jesse said.

"And I would really like to hear the whole story." Shey added.

"If we're counting, I'm hungry." Lor said.

"Fasting is good for the soul." Bob retorted. His head was spinning. He couldn't train Lor; he didn't know enough, and he was barely and apprentice himself.

Shey pulled him along by his shoulders. "Come on, kid. Let's get you something to eat and then you can fill me in on what you've been doing since I left you on Tatooine. I should've known better than to leave you with that rascal Solo."


	9. Who to Belong With

Who to Belong With

Lark watched Luke's X-wing fly out of sight from on board the Falcon. As she kicked herself again and again.

_You stay behind in a life or death situation for Luke and then you don't even tell him how you feel. Now if that isn't the lamest thing ever…_ Lark shut off the voice in her head. She really wasn't in the mood for it.

"I guess your parents will be glad to see you." Lando said.

Lark nodded, the edge of her mind tickling her as it always did when she talked to Lando. There was something about him she couldn't put her finger on.

"If they don't kill me for all the stupid things I've been doing." She said.

"Such as?"

"Falling for a boy who's in love with… someone else." She stopped herself from saying 'his sister'.

"Han?"

Lark nearly burst out laughing. "He would never go for me; we get along too well. And it's not you either; not that you're unattractive."

"Well thank you. If you had to pick between me and Han, who would it be?"

"Oh, you all the way."

"I know you're just saying that. And since there are only three males in this party, I assume you were talking about Luke?"

Lark nodded ruefully.

"He'll be back soon."

"Yeah, he's said that a couple of times. Somehow whenever he goes somewhere he gets delayed." Lark frowned. She should be with him. The problem was, he didn't need her help. At the beginning he'd been just a dazed farmboy with a crush on a beautiful princess, and she'd been the one with the Jedi parents, but now… Lark shook her head. Ever since she'd seen him on Tatooine, coolly facing off Jabba, things had been different. She'd been an idiot to think he would need her around.

_Maybe it's a good thing I didn't tell him._ She decided.

--

Bob paced back and forth in his quarters trying to figure out a way out of this mess.

_I can't train a girl; I barely started my training myself._

"Is that really the reason why?"

Bob snapped around. "I don't need you butting in."

"Really?" Kitch said nonchalantly. "You underestimate yourself, Bob. You can train her."

"No, I can't."

"Why not?"

"I don't know enough."

"You have the skills to use the Vapaad, you built up enough mental control to keep your thoughts completely shielded at all times, and you have the ability to see the past under the right circumstances. You're a skilled strategist, you look for new ways of doing things instead of remaining trapped, but you still respect the old ways of doing things. Bob, you are a Jedi to be respected."

"Maybe. But…" Bob stopped.

"But…?"

"Kitch, I can't sleep. Every time I do, I dream I'm drowning in the dark side. I'm… I'm tainted, and I don't know how to become clean again. I can't teach her about the light when I'm trapped away from it myself. Every time I try to break free, I get stuck."

"So do I." a small voice said. Bob whirled.

"Lor?"

"Um, are you talking to yourself?"

"No. There's someone there; you just can't see him."

"Right."

"I'm serious."

"I am too."

"About?"

"Not sleeping." Lor stepped forward, more serious than Bob had ever seen her. "All I know is the dark side, and when I try to do what you did when we were fighting, I keep losing my grip on the Force. I don't know how to grab hold of the light; it keeps getting washed away." Lor's voice trembled. "What if I can't?"

Bob swallowed past a catch in his throat. "If there's hope for me, there's hope for you, and I haven't given up hope yet."

"Bob, please train me. You're the only one who won't condemn me."

"Jesse and Kimmy won't."

"Please, Bob." She begged.

How could he say no? After all, they were in the same boat. And if there was help out there, one of them would be the ones to find it. He nodded.

"Alright."

--

Jesse waited impatiently as the ship landed. Kimmy smiled beside him. Technically he should greet Princess Leia first, but she knew that the second Lark was off the ship she'd be the only one he'd notice. And it would be the same with her.

Leia was the first off as per protocol, and then Jesse sprang forward. Lark felt herself caught up in a pair of powerful arms. She swallowed hard.

"I'm ok." She said, stepping back a little so Kimmy could join in the group hug. As she looked over their shoulders, she saw Bob standing off to the side with a slight frown on his face as he waited his turn. She knew how he felt without even trying. No matter how close he was to Jesse and Kimmy, they would always be her parents first. She pulled back and went over to him.

"Glad you're safe." She murmured as she hugged him. "I was terrified for you."

"Same here." she could hear gratefulness in Bob's tone. "Jesse told me you stayed behind with Luke. Where is he?"

Lark dropped her gaze. "Don't know. All he said was that he had a promise to keep, and he would be back as soon as he could."

"Oh."

Lark perked up. There had been a lot of understanding behind that oh. Suddenly she remembered that he and Luke had disappeared together. Her eyes bored into his. "Where is he?"

Bob shifted, but he figured if he didn't tell her Jesse or Kimmy would. "he went back to Dagobah to finish his training with master Yoda."

_Dagobah._ Lark did some quick thinking. Their journey and Luke's had been about the same distance, and the Falcon was faster than even an X-wing. If she left now…

After just getting back? Lark automatically glanced in Jesse and Kimmy's direction.

"What are you thinking about?" Bob asked.

"Is there a fighter ready to leave?"

"Do I want to know why you want to know?"

"I kicked myself the entire trip back for not telling Luke how I feel. I may never see him again." Lark said.

"Are you planning on telling your parents that you're leaving again?"

"Can you keep them occupied?" Lark looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Tell them, Lark. If you want to be treated like an adult you have to act like one."

"Fine. But you don't know them like I do." She muttered and went over to where Jesse, Lando, and Han were talking. A light flashed in Lark's mind, and she whirled to face Bob. Then she turned again. Bob, Lando, Bob, Lando. It finally clicked. The reason Lando had seemed so familiar to her. They must be related somehow. She stepped up beside Jesse.

"Can I talk to you and mom?" she said in a low tone.

Jesse looked wary. "Sure."

"Two things." Lark said when they were together in a corner. "First of all, I need you to find out about Lando's past, Dad. I think he and Bob are related."

"What makes you think that?" Jesse asked.

"Luke and Leia's presences are similar in the Force, kind of like the same type of pattern, and when they're together, particles of it pull toward each other. Bob and Lando do the same thing, only it's not so strong, so they must be farther apart." Lark explained. It felt weird having to explain something to her parents, especially something that came so easily to her.

"Ok, what's the second thing?" Kimmy asked.

Lark took a deep breath. "I'm going back to Dagobah to meet up with Luke." She held up a hand. "I would have gone with him in the beginning, but I knew you wanted me to come back, and I didn't think he needed me. But it doesn't matter anymore. I have to go. He doesn't need me, but I need him." she waited, surprised at how calm she was. No matter what they said she was going. She had to. They must have sensed it.

"You grew up so fast." Kimmy said. "Especially in these past several months."

"I know." Lark looked at Jesse. _Please don't try to stop me._

He didn't say anything for a long time, and then he cleared his throat. "Let's find a ship and get you prepped."

Lark jumped into his arms. "Thank you."


End file.
